Rail-joint.



c. o. T-HQMAS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1908.

' Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

INl TOR (llaa/nu Inf/Ill lli/111,14

HIS ATTORNEY that said flange at one UNTED STATES rarnnr otros.

CHARLES O. THOMAS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO J. T. REVISEL, OF CLARION, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL JOINT.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 9, 1909.

To all whom it .tay concern-.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES O. THOMAS, citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the count,v of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the follo'wingis a vspecification. v v

My invention relates to railjoints and has for its ooject .:e providing of means lfor preventing the breaking down of the railends at the joints which object I accomplisl;- by the nove means hereinafter described.

In the accomj, anying drawmgs, which ecification, Figure 1 is a form partof this s erspective view o a pair of rail-ends joined y my novel rail joints. Fig'. 2 is a cross section through the rail'joint at one ofthe bolt J holes.A and Fig. 3 illustrates in erspective one of the joined members and vgig.

4 illustrates in similar view the complementary member.

.Referring again tailed descriptionv of my invention resents the ends l,of two abutting r ils.

2 is a plate adapted to engage one side of the web of the abutting rails and is provided with'a slightly outwardly curved upper porto the drawings lforde- 'tion 3 adapted to conform to the curvature of the underortion of the head of the rail adjacent to t e web.v The lower vportion of said plate 2 is also outwardly curved as at 4 to intimately contact and conform .with the' angle of juncture ofthe rail web with the base of said rail and said plate as an eXtension portion 5 extending outwardly to the edge of said rail base, said ed e at 6 and terminating 1n a flat portion 7 ormin a seatfor said rail and prdvided with a ownwardly turned flange 8-at right angles to said seat-portion 7 This downwardly turned flange portion 8 is tapered so end 8a projects farther than at the other end 8b. On the opposite. side of the web o f the lrail is provideda plate 9 having an outwardly turned upper edge 10 similar and .performing the same function asthe corresponding portion 3. of plate 2 and isjprovided with an extension-11 adapted to conform withthe adjacent upper portion of the rail base and terminates in an upwardly turned flange portion 12' tapered4v ysimilarly to the flange 8 that is one end`12 j of said flange turned to form a 1-1 rep- Y thence passing aroundv 1 opposite' end 12b; this flange, however, may 5 -be without taper if desired. lt will b'e seen that these tapered flanges 8` and 12 are located one above Ythe other at one edge of the rail base. A locking member 13 consisting of a plate with its edges 14a and 14h intapered groove or key way 15 is adapted to engage the complementary flanges 8 and 12. Bolts and nuts 16 and17 respectively connect the oppositely'placed vplates 2 and 9 and join the rail ends after a -l manner of the usual fish-plate.

The locking/member 13 abovedescribed is Sand 12 and by reason ofits tapered groove and the corresponding mentary flanges it will be apparent that by driving said locking member-upon the comlementary flanges the portions 7 and 11 of the late will be drawn tightly together thus ten ing to hold up the rail ends and provide a rigid seat vfor said rail ends', thus eliminating the'sagging of the rail-ends so objectionable and unavoidable with the usual fishplate.

Having thus fully described what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is:

In a rail-"oint, in combination with the abutting raif-ends and bolts, of a plate conforming and contacting with one side of the rail-web and-extending beneath the rail base and embracing same and provided with a downwardly turned tapered flange, a complementary plate conforming to and contacting with the opposite side of said rail web and the adjacent upper portion of the rail base and provided wit i an upturned tapered flange ada ted to locate directly above the aforesai downturned tapered flange when in 'osition. and a locking member provided wit i an inturned edge forming a'groove to embrace the aforesaid upturned and downturned flanges, substantially as described and for the purpose-set forth.

In testimony whereof l have affixed my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

l CHARLES O THOMAS.

vWitnesses:

' GEO. A. YOUNG,

Rom. F. DILwoRfrH.

is sonewhat deeper than the adapted to engage the complementary flanges taper of the comple-l my inventionv 

